Accidental Love
by chibimalta
Summary: Momoko's life can't get any more complicated. She attends a private school, can move objects with her mind, has a demon, and is an orphan. But when Sasori comes to her school, he proves life can get more complicated. sasoXocXdei deiXoc, lots of ooc-ness.
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just the plot, Momoko, Ayame, Riku, Mitsuki, Miku, and anyone who isn't part of Naruto. Aparently, I also own _Flying for Dummies_, since it's an unexsistent book (tell me if you find it at a bookstore). I also don't own the "No Child Left Behind Act", but I do own the idea of agitation attacks (I think).

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day flashbacks are marked

Introduction

I sat alone on a bench in a park, swinging my legs ceaselessly. I really hate waiting, especially when it's for those quick little things. Finally, someone sits on the bench next to me. I look up from the patterened sidewalk and my eyes meet dull green ones. The person has messy ash brown hair and obvious muscles.

This is the guy who's supposed to give me a drug to control my demonic attacks. I couldn't get something like this from a drugstore, of course, so I'm paying this guy good money for something I'm not sure even works. I tell people I have agitation attacks, something the doctors can give me medicine for. But these attacks are caused by a demon inside me, this I'm sure of.

The guy hands me a bottle of pills, then immediately says, "Money." I don't like his commanding attitude, but I give him the money anyway, then put the bottle in my pocket. I get up and head for the exit of the park at a bit of a fast pace.

Being a fifteen-year-old girl with a demon is hard. Being a fifteen-year-old girl with an overactive demon and other powers is a hell ride. Other than coming up with the little "agitation attack" thing for when my demon takes over, I also have to wear glasses to keep myself from accidentally using my powers. I have the ability to move things with my mind, but it works best when there isn't anything obstructing my eyes like my eyelids or glasses. I've discovered it doesn't work at all with glasses- the lens reflect the technique right back at me.

At least I have cute glasses. They're red with little pink hearts on them. I had to get them custom-order though, and it's a good thing my parents left me with a lot of money. That's another thing- I'm an orphan. But I'm allowed to live on my own, because nobody in the world wants to deal with my "agitation attacks" and my ability to move things with my mind.

The government still makes me go to school though. It's because of that retarded "No Child Left Behind Act" that the idiot previous president came up with. At least I have good grades in school, even if I don't have any friends. And some of the girls are a little bit jelous of my natural dirty blonde hair and blue-green eyes, although I don't know why they are.

My bedroom in my top-floor apartment overlooks a park. More specifically, the man-made lake of the park. Most people would say it's a good view, but I think it could be better. Even from five stories up I can tell the water's contaminated with God-knows what. The people in this city are so disgusting.

I always keep my windows shut because the air outside reeks. Other than my bedroom, my apartment has a kitchen, a living/dinning room, and a bathroom. All the neccessities and the rent is super-cheap.

I keep my decor to a minimum. In the kitchen, there's a fridge with a freezer, a stove (which I rarely use), a mircowave, a sink, and a dishwasher. Everything else is what it was when I moved in. In the living room, I got a plasma T.V., couches, a table with some chairs, and those little T.V. tables. The table is strewn with papers, mostly notes on the side studies I do, and the mail, which is mostly bills.

In the bathroom, there's a toilet, a shower, and a sink. I put a little rug on the floor near the shower so I don't trip when I come out. By the sink are all my essentials, a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and make-up. In the cabinets under the sink I store the stuff for my monthly "gift" from Mother nature.

In my bedroom, I have a futon in place of a bed, as I didn't want to buy a bed and all the stuff that comes with it. The floor is carpeted, which is better than sleeping on something like wood, but it still doesn't do my back much of a favor. I have all my clothes in one dresser, and a mirror sits on the ground next to it. My alarm clock is plugged into an outlet a little ways from my futon so I have to get up to turn it off. All the walls in my house are white and so are the curtains.

All my technology, other than my T.V., is portable. I have a nice cell phone with unlimited texting, calling, and whatever else it can do that I don't do with it and has a camera. I have a 3rd generation pink 8 GB i-Pod Nano with a black cover decorated with cherries. I also have a soft pink laptop with with a custom skin I got off the internet.

My laptop is my life because all my classes but one are computer-based classes. The only class I don't need my laptop for is Japanese. For that class, I have all the hand-outs in a binder with a hole-puncher since the teacher is too lazy to hole-punch the hand-outs themself. I keep my Japanese stuff in my bag with my laptop. My cell phone and i-Pod are stuffed in my pockets.

In all my fifteen years of life, I've never had a boyfriend, much less kissed any guy outside my family. It's probably because everyone at school views me as a nerd, as I don't have a social life. I don't have a social life because everyone's afraid off my "agitation attacks". I don't mind it though- at least no one bullys me about it.

-

Today, there's a new kid in school. Rumor has it- although I only overheard the rumor- that the new kid's a guy with bright red hair and chocolate-brown eyes. He doesn't talk much, is a practical genius, and hates waiting. His personality is a lot like mine, according to the rumor. But I'm not one to believe rumors, especially since last year, one went around that I never lie, yet I lie so much that if I were Pinnochio, my nose would probably reach Japan.

This period is Japanese, my favorite class, even though I can't use my laptop. It just so happens that we have a new student in class, so I finally get to see if the rumor's true. The guy comes in, and it turns out the rumor's true, for once. He has the brightest red hair I've ever seen and chocolate-brown eyes. His eyes are dull, like the guy's from yesterday.

The teacher snaps for the class to be quiet and the red-head says, "I'm Sasori Akasuna. I transferred here from a school in another country." Short, sweet, and to the point, just how I would do such a thing.

I notice out of the corner of my eyes other girls are smiling at him, obviously trying to get his attention. He doesn't notice them however, just stares at something on the wall behind the rest of us. The teacher assigns him the empty seat next to me, much to the other girls' dismay. I miss whatever else the teacher says on the subject, tapping my pencil with impatience as I wait for the lesson to begin.

After class, all the other girls surround me in the hall. "Stay away from Sasori, he's ours." One of them says.

"Whatever, let me get to class." I reply coldly, and shove past them.

I feel someone grip the collar of my uniform and spin around to see one of them had grabbed me. "We're serious, stay away from Sasori." She says.

"And I was serious when I said let me get to class." I say flatly, taking my glasses off.

"I mean it, Momoko, stay away from Sasori!"

That was my snapping point. I used my mind to throw her into the wall. "I don't have any interest in him. Get it through that thick skull of yours." Then I put my glasses back on and storm off to my next class.

"That was pretty amazing what you did back there." Someone said, suddenly coming up on my side.

"Whatever. Leave me alone."

I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Can't. I'm here under orders to take a girl with powers back to base. You'd be the girl with powers."

I stop and turn to face them. "You came all the way out here on orders? That's retarded, Sasori."

"You can say that now."

"You can't capture me that easy. I don't go down without a fight."

"I knew I'd have to do this." He sighs and raises his hand. Suddenly, blue strings wrap around me tightly.

"Crap. You're making me destroy perfectly good custom-made glasses over this."

"Maybe you should just come quietly then."

"Tch, fine. I've been looking for a way out of here anyway."

The strings vanish. "Follow me." He says, heading for the nearest exit. I follow him, partly afraid of his powers. As a precaution, I take off my glasses and put them in their case.

**A/N: Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	2. Woman With a Plan

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day flashbacks are marked

Wo-man With a Plan

We get out of the school and start walking down the streets to what seems like nowhere in particular. After walking awhile, I start getting impatient and ask, "Do you have any idea where we're going?"

"Vaguely." He replies, not looking at me.

"So you're lost?"

"No, I just can't remember where I came into this world from relative to where we are now."

"Describe where you came into this world and I'll try to figure it out for you."

"There were tall mountains. And lots of people wearing backpacks."

"So the Appalachians or the Rockies, probably. Which direction did you have to go to get here?"

"East."

"Rockies, then. We probably have to go to Colorado.............that's quite a ways from here."

"How do you suggest we get there quickly, then?"

"Plane. But I know you probably don't want to part with all your weapons, so we'll have to sneak on. That'll be pretty tricky."

"That and my abdomen has metal in it."

"All the more reason to find another way in. Hmm, I wonder if Ayame's parents own a small plane that happens to be at the local airport..........."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Shush. I gotta make a phone call." I take out my cell phone and start scrolling through the contacts.

"Ok..................."

I find the number I'm looking for and hold it to my ear, listening to the rings and tapping my foot impatiently. Finally, Ayame picks up. "Hello?" She says sleepily.

Ooops, forgot the several hours time difference between Ohio and Moscow. "Hey, it's Momoko."

"Oh, hey Momoko. Why're you calling so early?"

"Well, it's only early to you. But I'm calling 'cause I'm wondering if your parents own a small plane."

"Yeah, they do. They last left it at a small airport in Ohio."

"Would it happen to be the Blue Ash airport?"

"Yeah, that's it. It's white with red stripes on the side. And I think the cover on it's a really light khaki color."

"Alright, you mind if I borrow it?"

"What for?"

"I got a person with a lot of metal in their body, so I'm gonna try to avoid security at the international airport."

"Oh, cool. Yeah, I don't think my parents will mind, as long as you don't damage it."

"Thanks."

"Do you even know how to fly?"

"Nope. I'm gonna go to a bookstore though."

"Why?"

"To get that _Flying for Dummies_ book."

"You're suicidal. But have fun!"

"Alright. Talk to you later, Ayame."

"Bye."

I hang up and turn to Sasori, who's looking at me dumbstruck. "What?"

"You're gonna fly even though you don't know how?" He asks.

"Yup. But we gotta go to the book store first."

"_Flying for Dummies_?" Sasori asks, staring at the cover of the book I was now carrying as we headed for the Blue Ash airport.

"Yup. I'm gonna use it to figure out how to fly." I reply, smiling a little bit.

"Great. You're probably gonna get us killed."

"Maybe. But then again, I could use my mind to make the plane do some cool tricks if worse comes to worse. Besides, we aren't going that far."

"Ugh, what did I get myself into?"

I don't answer as we had arrived at the airport. I head out to the planes and start looking for the one Ayame's parents own. I find it a couple minutes later.

"Here it is." I say, taking the cover off.

"We're gonna fly in THIS out to Colorado?" He asks, shocked.

"No, silly! This is how we're gonna avoid security!"

"I don't get it."

"We're gonna fly to the international airport and find a plane that's headed to Colorado. Then we just sneak aboard. Other than the flying to the international airport, it's easy."

"This is so suicidal." He says as he climbs in, taking the passenger seat.

"Probably." I say, climbing into the pilot's seat. "But it's the only way I can think of."

"Great. Just great."

**A/N: Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	3. Worse Than Deidara's Flying

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day

flashbacks are marked

Worse Than Deidara's Flying

"Ok, so you flip this switch here........." I say, flipping a switch as I read from _Flying for Dummies_. "Then you flip this switch..................."

"Are we gonna go yet?" Sasori asks, already impatient.

"Soon. I just gotta flip a couple more switches and then we'll taxi to the runway."

"You lost me at that 'and' part."

"Sorry, I'll explain it to you later. Or you can read it during the flight."

"Whatever. Let's just go already."

"Yeah, I'm going, I'm going." I say, putting the book, open to the page on takeoff, between my legs.

"Can't you go any faster?" He asks as we taxi towards the runway for flying south.

"No, now shut up or I'll loose my concentration."

"You have no authority over me." He says as we pull up at the head of the runway.

I flip a couple switches. "Maybe not, but I can shut you up by doing this." The plane suddenly starts flying down the runway really fast.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screams, as it looks like we're going to crash, but I get the plane off the ground at the last second.

"Whew, that was close." I say, whipping away some sweat.

"YOU NEARLY GOT US KILLED!" He shouts, his eyes wide.

"I'm not a pro." I reply, focussed on my flying. "Now take the book and read about all the crazy terms I'm gonna throw at you. There's a glossary in the back."

"Ok." He says and timidly pulls the book from between my legs, trying not to disturb me so we wouldn't crash on accident.

"Ok, now I need you to read me the section on landing." I say after we finally got permission to land.

"Ok. You have to flip the take off/landing switch to landing."

"Did that."

"Then you have to flip the navy-colored switch."

"Navy, navy, navy....................flipped it."

"Finally, it says you gotta land with the back wheels first, then the front."

"Knew that part." I say. "This is kinda sounding easy."

"You say that, but it's still really risky."

"We'll be fine. We made it this far alive."

"Right." He says as we start a rapid descent towards the ground.

I start circling a little as I realized we wouldn't make it to the runway from the first descent. Sasori squeezes his eyes shut, mumbling something as we pull sharp turns in the air. I knew the other pilots and the people manning the tower probably thought I was crazy, but how am I supposed to really know how to do this?

I finally get it just right so we'll land on the runway and pull up the front wheel just a tinch so the back ones will touch first. They do, and then the front follow, and we speed down the runway as if we'll take off again. Only this time, I'm slamming the brakes really hard.

We slow to taxiing speed and I turn over to the small hangars where other planes this size are. I sigh with relief again, and park the plane where the workers want me to. Then I work on turning the plane off, flipping the switches from their current position to off.

Sasori finally opens his eyes and blinks a couple times. "We're alive? WE'RE ALIVE!" He says, and hugs me tightly.

"Duh." I say flatly. "And get off me before I slam you into the window."

"Oh, sorry." He lets go. "I just thought something bad would happen..................."

"And nothing did. Now lets go." I climb out, pulling the cover with me.

He climbs out and helps me put the cover back on. Then we head over to a female worker who had been watching us the whole time. She had medium length strawberry-blonde hair, but I couldn't tell her eye color from a distance though. She was wearing a bright yellow safety vest over worker's clothes.

"Lemme guess: your first time ever flying." She says as we approach.

"Yeah. Don't tell any others though, they might freak." I say.

"Why's that?"

"My friend here doesn't know what a plane is." I gesture at Sasori.

"Oh, I see. How'd you figure things out?"

I snatch the book from him and hold it up. "This book."

"_Flying for Dummies_. Interesting."

"That was the most exciting and dangerous thing I've ever done."

"So why'd you fly for the first time anyway?"

"To avoid security. See, red-head over here has tons of metal on his body that he refuses to part with..................."

"Oh, I see. So I'm guessing you need info on a flight."

"Know any heading for Denver?"

"Oh yeah, that one's at.................." She looks at a clipboard. "A14."

"Alright then. To gate A14!"

"Um, you'll get killed on foot. Take one of these cart things."

"That works." I jump behind the wheel of one, Sasori climbs in next to me and we zip off.

When we finally find the gate, I park next to the metal stairs. We get out and rush up the stairs. Then we go in through the door and into the end of the jetway. I thank God that the plane hasn't departed yet as we get on and sit in two empty seats. Lucky us, this is a non-stop flight to Denver.

Since our flight was several hours long, I had curled up against the wall, the window's shade down. There were only two seats on the side of the plane Sasori and I were on, so I had felt a little uncomfortable. However, when I woke up, which was a few minutes ago, I hadn't remembered he was there, so I freaked when I found he had fallen asleep with his head resting on my shoulder.

It's been silent since I freaked out, so I decide to push up the shade to see what's going on outside. "Oh.............wow, it's so pretty out!" I say, thinking aloud.

"Let me see." Sasori replies, practically climbing over me to see. "Huh, you're right. It is pretty."

I take my phone out and snap a couple pictures of the scenery. "Oh, look, that cloud looks like a bunny!"

"It looks like a cat to me."

The plane turns a little bit and we can see the sunset. "Oh my God, that's....................." I find myself at a loss for words.

"Beautiful." Sasori says, finishing my sentence.

I turn my head to look at him, to find our faces are barely a foot away, his lips curled into a smile and I instantly blush. Before I can say anything, one of the flight attendants stops as she's passing and says, "You two make a cute couple. Are you on your honeymoon?"

Sasori's smile fades and I look up at her increduously. "No, we're just two friends traveling together." I say meekly.

"Oh, really? That's too bad." Then she continues down the aisle.

Sasori returns to a normal sitting position and says, "Don't want anyone else getting the wrong idea."

I nod in agreement, and continue staring out the window. I think about how close his face was to mine. Then about that smile of his.....................there's nothing I can compare to it. I feel as if it were alluring, and I wonder if I'm falling for him. No way, I promised those stupid fangirls I would stay away from him, even if they aren't here right now........................................

Does he see anything in me?

**A/N: ch 2&3 came via daydream. I probably wouldn't have gotten very far without that random daydream. And nobody try that, because I don't want to be linked to any deaths! Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	4. Arrival

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day

flashbacks are marked

Arrival

I was glad the flight was finally over. I stood and stretched a little, waiting for Sasori to find an opening in the mob of people getting off the plane. Despite the fact that he knew his bright red hair was easy to find in a crowd of people, he took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together so we wouldn't get lost. We got off the plane, walked up the jetway and into the airport. From there, I took the lead and we headed to where the hotel buses pick people up.

We got on a bus to some random hotel, I didn't check the name because we weren't really going to stay there. Well, maybe just for tonight since none of the buses to the hiking trails are probably operating right now. I hope the price for one night is low, and if it'll save money, I'm willing to get one bed, even if it would be akward.

I notice that Sasori hasn't let go of my hand, even though we're nearly the only ones on the bus. There're two guys in maybe their early 20s sitting in the back of the bus. I glance at them and notice they look a little drunk and are smiling at me. So Sasori's protecting me. How sweet.

We get to the hotel about ten minutes later and get off. Before I realize what's happening, one of the guys wraps their arms around my waist and starts pulling me towards the parking lot. I try to get free, but find I can't, and I can't use my powers since I put my glasses back on in the airport. The guy pulls me to a car and throws me into the back, climbing on top of me to pin me down. The other guy gets in the driver's seat and we start driving off somewhere.

The car stops in some abandoned parking lot. The driver guy gets out, probably to watch for Sasori or the police. Meanwhile, the guy on top of me starts stripping himself, then, with a bit of struggle, me. But taking my uniform's shirt off caused my glasses to come off, so I smash the guy into the door.

I put my clothes back on and grab my glasses from the floor before throwing the door behind me open and getting out. I slam the door shut, then retrieve my bag from the front seat. Then the guard guy comes at me from behind and pins me to the door of the car. The guy who was trying to rape me gets out of the car, cursing quite a bit, and circles to where I am.

He grabs the collar of my shirtand picks me up off the ground. He proceeds to punch me a couple times before dropping me to the ground. I resist the urge to cry out in pain and force myself to my feet. I notice a street light a little ways across the parking lot and use my mind to bend it until it snaps and send it flying into the back of the guy's head.

He falls unconcious and I start moving towards the guard guy, who retreated. He continues moving back as I advance, then circles a little and bursts into a run for the car, tossing his nude and unconscious friend into the back. He then drives off into the night, leaving me alone in an abandoned parking lot.

After being alone for some 20 minutes, I start to feel lonely and depressed. But I know that won't get me anywhere, so I decide to walk back into the city, in hopes that I'll run into Sasori. I really have no idea where I'm going as I walk down street after street, sticking to the well-lit areas, for fear of being kidnapped again. The whole time I walk, I look for bright red hair, the one thing in the world that separates Sasori from everybody else.

I collapse on a bench outside a hotel. I've searched for almost an hour now, and I'm getting hungry, and even worse, tired. Maybe the whole search was hopeless and I'll never see Sasori again. No, I can't think like that. I will see him again, I'm sure of it. I just don't know when..................................

I awake from my nap to someone calling my name. Wait, I fell asleep? How could I have been so stupid to let myself fall asleep on a bench in a city I know little about?! I panic and punch at the nearest thing to me, but whoever it is catches my punch.

"Calm down, it's only me, Sasori." I hear a voice say. Sasori? He must've found me at some point or another. "You must've fallen asleep on that bench. It was getting chilly when I found you, so I went into the hotel."

It does feel a bit warmer than it did when I fell asleep. I open my eyes and find myself curled up in his arms. "Ah, I'm sorry!" I say, sitting up and blushing bright red.

"It's alright. I really don't mind. What I want to know, though, is what did those guys do to you?"

"One of them tried to rape me." My voice was a bit shaky when I said this, as I'm still a bit shocked by that.

"How'd you escape?"

"Powers. My glasses came off when the guy tried to take my shirt off................"

"Oh. Look, I'm sorry that happened and all."

"No, don't apologize. It's not your fault."

"I could've prevented it if I had seen it coming."

"Stop blaming yourself, Sasori! I lived, and there isn't a scratch on me."

"But....................what if you had gotten hurt? What if you hadn't been able to move after that and you were just left out there to die? I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you, Momoko."

I stare at him, speechless and dumbstruck by what he just said. Does he really care about me that much, or is he just saying that? I can't tell, but I desperately want to know. I guess this means I've fallen for him after all. Or maybe it's just I'm really vulnerable right now...........................oh, crap, he better not be trying to take advantage of me!

He grips my arms tightly, his face looking like he's crying, although I don't see any tears. Even though there's a chance he could be faking all this to take advantage of me, seeing him like this breaks my heart. I break his hold just enough so I can wrap my arms around his neck, bringing our faces that much closer. His eyes widen a little, yet he still manages a small smile. I don't know why, but I suddenly lean in so that our faces are inches apart.

He suddenly rests his head on my shoulder. "I can't." He says weakly. "I can't do this. I'm an S-ranked criminal, I'm not supposed to fall in love."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tempted you." I say, pushing him back and looking down.

"You're not the only one to blame." He lifts my chin. "I should've tried to stop myself, but......................I don't know. You're just too good not to go after, even if I'm not allowed."

"Don't break the rules over me, Sasori. I'm not worth it."

He sighs. "Let's take this to our room."

"When-"

"While you were asleep." He then stands, holding onto me so I don't get hurt.

We then went up to our room on the 2nd floor. The room had one bed, a T.V., a bathroom, a fridge, a small desk with a chair, a small closet, and a balcony facing the skyscrapers of downtown. I was a little frightened by the single bed, but Sasori didn't seem to care. In fact, he didn't seem to care that I was in the room watching when he took his cloak off.

"Get ready for bed." He says a little coldly.

"But I don't have any PJs." I reply.

"I told the maids to bring you something. It should be in the bathroom."

"Um, thanks." I enter the bathroom and change into whatever the maids gave me. Which happened to be a skimpy, lace, form-fitting, soft pink nightgown with spaghetti straps. If Sasori doesn't try to rape me because of this, then he really is an unfeeling puppet.

I slip out of the bathroom and put my uniform in my laptop bag. I sigh with relief when I realize Sasori hasn't seen me yet. But I notice him over by the door to the balcony. I gather as much courage as possible, which right now is very little, and walk over to him.

He doesn't seem to notice me at first, but after awhile, he turns and looks me over. "Wow. Y-you look.........................beautiful." He manages.

I feel my face heat up. "Th-thanks. It's not really my style..................but it's all I got."

He looks away as if he's hiding an invisible blush. "Let's get some sleep." He says after a long pause.

"Alright." I say in agreement, even though I know he probably wanted to have said something else.

I curl up on one side of the twin-size bed, but he pulls me to the middle. Then he gently lies down on top of me. Before I can question it, he closes his eyes, tuning everything out. So I allow myself to fall asleep, listening to the muffled thud of his heart.

-

In the morning, we got on the earliest bus to the trails. We had gotten a map of the trails from our hotel, which we had also checked out of. We got off the bus at the stop for the most popular trail. This trail, I believe, will get us to the world Sasori came from.

We hiked and hiked, never stopping since Sasori had decided he would carry me on his back so we could go faster. We paused every time we saw a fork in the trail, checking for it on the map and marking our progress as we went. It was getting later in the morining, and I hadn't eaten since the plane ride here, so I was starving by now. Sasori stopped when he heard my stomach growl, and pulled some food from a small pack he had on his waist under his cloak.

I ate sort of quickly, and we were back to hiking about ten minutes later. It was only about an hour after we stopped for breakfast that we came across another fork in the road. I took out the map and checked for this fork, but couldn't find it.

"I think this is it Sasori." I say, still studying the map.

He looks over my shoulder, having put me down. "It must be. It's not marked on the map." He says.

"Then we found it." I fold the map up and put it back in my laptop bag.

"When we set foot on that trail, we'll go through the portal. You can't really tell it's there, but it is. From there, it's a short distance to the base."

"Alright." I go to get on his back, but he catches my wrist. "Sasori......................?"

His other hand slips under my chin and he brings my face close to his. "I love you." He whispers, then his lips crush down on mine, and time itself seems to freeze.

After a few minutes, I run out of air and he pulls away, pressing me into his chest. I look up at him. "Sasori........................I love you too." I say, barely having caught my breath.

"We'll make this work somehow. I don't know how, but there's gotta be a way." He says. "And forget the rules. I could've been ordered to kill you and I'd still love you."

"Am I really worth that much?"

"To me, you are."

"Thanks." I whisper, resting my head on his chest.

He kisses the top of my head, then says, "Come on, let's go."

I get on his back and he heads for the unmarked trail. I can tell we're in a different world because the trees on this trail are taller and wider. I hold on tighter as Sasori increases speed, probably impatient to get back.

He slows a little when we reach a lake- or maybe it's a river, I can't really tell. On the other side, there's a partial _torii_ in front of a cliff wall. I get a shock as Sasori starts walking across the water towards the _torii_. Then part of the cliff wall moves to reveal a cave. He continues across the water and into the cave, letting me down once we're on the opposite shore.

I hear several other voices then, and the part of the cliff guarding the cave entrance settles back in place.

**A/N: I just realized that I put that Sasori was wearing his cloak and didn't have a scene when he changed out of the school uniform he had to have been wearing. So, let's just go with he changed while Momoko was asleep. Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	5. Akatsuki

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day

flashbacks are marked

Akatsuki

I am blinded by the utter darkness. I want to reach out for Sasori, but I'm afraid he'll pull away from me. I don't like the dark at all- I can't see what I'm attacking or defending against. I prefer having some amount of light.

The voices I heard have finally died off, but I can hear breathing near me. There are other people in the cave, and from my guess, they're surrounding me, and maybe Sasori too. I wonder if they can tell the darkness is getting to me- that I'm about to go insane because I can't see my hand in front of my face.

Someone clears their throat, then declares, "Someone turn the lights on. I want to get a good look at the captive." The lights come on and I can see I'm surrounded by nine people- eight men and one woman- and Sasori has stepped behind me. "Sasori, tell us how you got back so quickly."

The speaker seems to be their leader. He has bright orange hair and his face is decorated with piercings. I wonder if these people realize I don't like it when people stare at me. I tend to lose my control when people annnoy me, when they stare at me, or when I'm in the dark.

"Well, we flew in a small metal thing called a plane to a place called an airport." Sasori explains. "That flight could've gotten us killed, as she flew the plane for the first time ever. Then we got on a larger plane and flew halfway across the country. We walked from there."

Did he have to include that the first flight was suicidal? Someone laughs, and says, "Poor Danna. That must've scared the living crap outta you un!" The voice and laugh belong to a guy- I think- with long blonde hair in a half ponytail and some of it falling across the left side of his face.

"Shut up Deidara." Sasori replies, not even looking at the blonde.

The blonde falls silent. Then the leader says, "So you got here quicker by flying? Seems that's the better way to go."

"It's faster, but it's quite dangerous, especially when the pilot is refrencing a $10 book because they're flying for the first time."

"Book? So that's how she learned?"

"Yes, and that's what made it even more suicidal."

"I see. Does anyone else have other questions?" None of the others said a word. "Then let's move on to testing her abilities."

I was led out back to training grounds. There was a cobbled section- probably the main part- and a little stream further out. Then there was the woods that extended far beyond my range of sight. There were also random rocks along the stream bed that would make perfect weapons.

"For your test, you will be fighting........................" The orange haired man pauses. "Deidara."

Said blonde steps out into the cobbled area and says, "You're dead meat un."

I take off my laptop bag and set it down. "We'll see about that." I reply, moving into the cobbled area as well.

He reaches into a pouch around his waist that I hadn't noticed before. Then I see a tiny bird in his hand. He does a couple weird things with his hands and the bird triples in size. He jumps up onto the bird as it takes off.

So maybe I am dead meat. Sadly, I'm not some wimpy girl who gives up when the going gets tough. Nope, I'm really stubborn when it comes to giving up. I could be half dead and I would still try to fight. If I'm goin' down, I'm goin' down swingin'.

Staying true to my nature, I mentally snapped one of the giant trees in two. Then I started swinging it at the bird without actually touching it. I couldn't see it from where I was, but Deidara was actually freaking out. And the others were shocked that I could move such a large object. Guess they don't know about the time I used a semi to kill a guy, even if I was having one of my "agitation attacks".

Finally, Deidara attacks by throwing a bunch of white bugs at me. Of course, I fling them right back at him. If he thought those would scare me, he's dead wrong. I don't particularly like bugs, but I don't hate them. Bugs will be bugs.

Then a couple smaller birds come flying at me. I direct them back at him, but they explode long before they can reach him. So his little creations blow up, eh? That's just dandy- he gets to play offense, I get to play defense. Or at least until I get him down on the ground.

He must be pissed by now. Who wouldn't be if someone keeps thwarting your attacks without any obvious motion? Oh, like hell he's pissed, he's bringing his bird back down to the ground. That's good, that means I can fling those stream-side rocks at him. And that's just what I do.

He storms over to me and grabs me by the shirt collar, lifting me into the air. "What the hell un?!" He shouts.

"What do you mean? This is a fight, not an argument." I reply, totally calm.

"You could at least let yourself get hit un!"

I bust up laughing. "What, are you crazy?! Hell no! I'm not that stupid!" I manage between laughs. He growls and puts me down. "You're such a blonde!"

He punches me in the face. "BITCH!"

I punch downward towards the place where the sun don't shine. "SON of a bitch." I then turn on my heel and walk over and snatch my laptop bag up.

"He's not unconscious yet." The leader says, as if he was talking to an idiot.

"He won't be moving any time soon though." I reply, not looking at the leader.

"We didn't see all that much."

"So? I could care less how little you saw. You don't need to know anything about what I can do."

"We do if you want to be in the Akatsuki."

"Who said I even WANTED to be in this Akatsuki or whatever? I could honestly care less!"

"Then why did you come here?"

"Beacause I was sick of the people back home giving me shit about my powers. I wanted an escape, and coming here was it."

"So you have no intention of joining the Akatsuki?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then you will be disposed of." The others head in, with someone helping Deidara. "Sasori, get rid of her."

"Yes sir." Sasori says, then he turns to face me.

"Lemme guess, you gotta kill me now because I know too much about you guys."

"Yes." His face is expressionless, something I'm not used to. "I'll make it quick and painless though."

"There's no such thing as a painless death. One always suffers sometime before they die."

"Would it make you feel better if you died in my embrace?"

"Not really. I wouldn't want to die in the embrace of someone who lied to make me feel better, or whatever your stupid reason was."

His eyes flicker with anger. "I wasn't lying!" He nearly shouts.

"Then why don't you seem to care about me?! Why are so content with obeying your leader?!" I feel tears well up in my eyes, but hold them back.

"I-" He stops and bites his lower lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you felt like this."

"How could you not realize?!"

"I-I don't know. I'm sorry. Really, I am."

He comes over to hug me, but I move out of the way. "You're such a two-faced jerk." Then I take off into the woods.

He doesn't bother to follow me, just stands there, as if he's a frozen statue.

**A/N: Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	6. Lonliness is Only Half the Problem

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day

flashbacks are marked

Lonliness is Only Half the Problem

~:Momoko's P.O.V.:~

It's been a couple days since I ran away from the Akatsuki and Sasori. The whole time I've been thinking about him on and off. Every time he crosses my mind, I mentally scold myself for thinking about him. Although, the more that I think about it, the more I realize the only reason I fled was to escape death. I'm not seriously mad at him any more, but at the time, I had been.

Currently, I have a tiny camp set up somewhere in the woods. I call it tiny, because all I have is a fire going. I sleep curled up by the fire for warmth, forced to sleep in that skimpy thing the maids at the hotel had given me. On my other side is my laptop bag. I wind the strap around my leg so I can feel it if someone tries to steal it.

My mind wanders back to the night at the hotel. First off, he had brought me in from the cold when I fell asleep on the bench. And on the bus ride into town he had tried to protect me. I lingered on the memory of him sleeping on top of me because of the single bed in our room. Even though it was WAY awkward, it had felt nice.

Then my memories slide into our hike. I hadn't thought much about it then, but allowing me to ride on his back was actually a kind gesture as well as a way to allow us to travel faster. I remember our kiss, how it had tasted so good and felt so right. And those three simple words he said.

I miss him. His bright red hair, his chocolate brown eyes, everything that is him. I want it all back. But I know I can't go back. And he probably won't take me back, not after I called him such a horrible name and ran off.

~:Sasori's P.O.V.:~

For the past couple of days, I've been sitting outside near that same spot. The spot she last stood before running off. No one questions why I've been outside, they don't really care and know I don't eat or sleep. They don't even know that she ran off, they just think I killed her, because that's what I told leader. I'm actually afraid to tell the truth because he might send someone after her.

I'm not going to lie. I miss her a lot. Even though she called me a two-faced jerk, I still love her. I must have a stubborn heart. Or maybe it's because she's the first person other than my parents that I've loved.

"Hey Danna, you ok un?" Damn, I missed the brat coming out because I was too focused on my daydream.

"Yeah." I reply, lying.

"You sure? You've been out here ever since you killed that girl un."

"So what?"

"I'm starting to get the feeling there's something you aren't telling us un."

"You're wrong brat. I don't lie."

"Danna, you can tell me what's wrong un. I won't tell."

"Yeah right brat. You have a big mouth."

"I promise. I just wanna know what's wrong un."

"You wanna know what's wrong?! Fine, I'll tell you! It's the fact that she's dead, and that I had to kill her!" I nearly shout hysterically.

"Why is that such a problem un?"

"Because I fell for her."

"You................fell for her......................un? As in, like, fell in LOVE with her un?"

"Yes, that's it exactly."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously."

"Wow. You're so dead if anyone finds out un."

"Definately. You better not tell."

"I won't, I promise un."

"Thanks. I'm gonna go for a walk now."

"Alright. See you later un." Deidara turns and heads back in.

Then, for the first time in two days, I stand. My joints creak from having sat so long. It's not like I can feel it though, I'm a puppet. But I sure can hear it. Then I head in the woods in the direction she had run.

~:Momoko's P.O.V.:~

I sigh. I just finished lunch of roasted fish. Time to pack up camp. I put the fire out and get rid of the leftover wood. Then I pull my laptop bag on my shoulder and start walking.

I'm not in much of a hurry anymore. I only ran on the first day. But I keep moving just in case someone comes after me. Usually I leave after breakfast, but I hung around later because my memories had captivated me. Generally, that happens just before I go to sleep.

As I walk, my mind wanders yet again. First, it replays the scene before I ran off. Then it jumps back to the hotel. Then our adventures before that. And finally, it flashes back to when I hurt my friends, the first time my demon took over my body.

_~Flashback~_

_A me about a year ago stands facing her two friends, hot with rage. She had just asked why they hadn't invited her to a party. Her younger friend, Tsukiko had told her they had invited too many people. Her same-age friend Riku had told her inviting her hadn't crossed her mind._

_"Those are just exuses!" She snaps, her eyes now blood-red. "If you hate me so much, then TELL me!"_

_There's a blur of motion as she attacks her friends, injuring them very badly. When she finally returned to normal, she snatched her friend Tsukiko's cell phone and called 911. She cried the whole time they were being put on stretchers, reminding herself over and over that she was the reason they were going to the hospital._

_A week later, she stands before a judge in court. Some believed her attack on Tsukiko was her cause of death. Luckily, she was able to prove that Tsukiko's cause of death was suicide, but she was fined because the injuries probably had some contribution. Riku had convinced her parents not to file a lawsuit against her and her parents. She knew her friend well enough that she knew this was something new._

_But this wouldn't be the first time my demon would hurt or kill someone._

_~End Flashback~_

I look up from the ground. It had been spinning while I remembered that night, so I had stopped. The sky had turned dark due to storm clouds. Great, now it's going to rain.

I want to continue, but my head hurts. So I'll find shelter in the hollow of the tree and hope lightning doesn't strike the tree I choose. Luckily for me, I find a hollowed-out tree not far from where I had stopped. I walk in it just as the rain stops.

I hope Sasori isn't out in this.

~:Sasori's P.O.V.:~

I hate the rain. Not because it does damage to my body, but becasue it annoys me. And I won't admit it to anyone, but the thunder scares me. The lightning just ticks me off because it reminds me of the brat's view on art. He's always saying, "Art is fleeting un!" or "Art is a bang un!" He's wrong. Art is eternal.

I hope Momoko found shelter. Heck, I don't even know if she traveled in a straight line. She probably did since she's not a ninja, but it's hard to say. Most non-ninja and lower-ranked ninja tend travel in straight lines because they don't know better. Upper-ranked ninja like myself, know better. We tend to take confusing paths to lose possible persuers.

Now that it's raining, every time I see a hollowed tree, I stop to check. Just checking makes me feel a little better, a little closer to possibly finding her. If I do find her, I won't be going back to the Akatsuki. Hopefully she didn't really mean what she said and was just upset.

Every once in awhile I've seen little black patches left behind, possibly from campfires. The further I go, the more recent they become. I'm definately on the right path. I just haven't found her yet.

~:Momoko's P.O.V.:~

Usually, I'm not afraid of thunderstorms. They just wake me up in the middle of the night and the noise keeps me from sleeping. Being out in one with no protection is different though. I'm constantly worried about the tree being struck by lightning. I'm also not sure if I'll live to see another day.

Right now, all I want is Sasori. I want his warm embrace. I want his soft lips kissing mine. I want him to tell me everything will be fine, that we'll live through this storm, and if we die, we'll die together and live together in the afterlife. I want him back so bad, it's nearly unbearable.

I sink to the ground, sitting Indian-style. It's not only because my legs are tired, but also because I'm starting to give up hope. Hope that I'll see him again before I die. I should have agreed to dying in his embrace, because if he really did love me, he wouldn't have been able to bring himself to kill me. And if he did, maybe he'd kill himself right after so we could be together in the afterlife and not have to worry about the stupid rules.

It must be pretty late, because I'm getting more and more tired. I'm also hungry, but I can't really do anything about that without going out in the rain and catching cold. So my stomach will have to wait until the rain lets up. As for sleep, I could do that now, I guess.

I lie on my side, curled up in a ball. I haven't bothered to change into my nightgown or take my laptop bag off, but I don't mind. I'm warmer in my uniform. Just as I'm about to close my eyes, I notice something in the distance. A red flame, moving closer at a rapid pace.

I really don't want to deal with whatever's heading my way. But if I fall asleep now, whatever it is could hurt me. So I force myself to sit up, then rub my eyes so I can see a little better. It's getting closer to where I'm hiding out.

And then it hits me in the back of the head. That's not a red flame, it's red hair. The only person I know with red hair....................................is Sasori. Once this clicks, my heart rate starts to increase as I realize he's probably looking for me. If he's out in this looking for me, well, he must really care about me.

Suddenly, he's standing at the entrance to the hollowed tree I'm in. Then he's on his knees, hugging me, not exactly in the warm embrace I wanted, but that's fine by me. I find myself crying, hard, for God knows what reason. He rubs my back and patiently waits for my crying to slow enough that I can hear him.

When my crying finally slows, he whispers, "I'm sorry, for everything I've done that hurt you."

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I called you such a horrible name............................I really don't deserve this." I say between sniffles.

"It's alright. All I want is to have you back."

"You never really lost me. The whole time............................I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"That just makes it all a whole lot easier." He kisses my forehead.

"Do we have to go back?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Good. I want it to be just the two of us, alone."

"Sounds good to me." He unbuttons his cloak and pulls me tight against his chest, then manages to rebutton it.

I slip my arms around his neck, adjusting myself a little so I'm warmer. His arms slide around my waist, pulling me even closer. Then we kiss, first just gently, then with more and more passion. After awhile we stop and I nuzzle into his neck.

"I love you." He says softly, closing his eyes as he pretends to sleep.

"I love you too." I whisper, then drift off to sleep.

**A/N: Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	7. Truth

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day

flashbacks are marked

Truth

~:Deidara's P.O.V.:~

I'm starting to worry about Danna. It started raining about a half hour after he left. Even though the rain let up, it's dark. I'm wondering if he's going to come back anytime soon.

Agh, why am I worrying so much? I've actually worried about Danna before, but now more than ever. Maybe it's because he loves, or well, loved, that girl. Wait, so does that make me jelous?

I'm definately jelous of her, but I think it's mostly because she impressed all the other members and made me look like a total idiot. Well, I've looked like an idiot before, but not as much in front of Danna. Why do I care so much about what he thinks?

I..................................................I'm in love with him, I think. I still show him respect, even though he's a jerk to me. I feel really bad for him when there's a thunderstorm, because I've woken up in the middle of the night and heard him trying to calm himself. And even though I don't really agree with his view on art, it gave him..................................a really nice body.

And now I have to go to leader's office for some reason or another. When I enter, leader greets me with, "Sit down."

I sit in one of the chairs. "What do you need me to do un?" I ask.

"You know Sasori well. Find out what's wrong with him and get him to come back inside."

"Yes sir. But I'm gonna have to find him un. He went on a walk and hasn't come back yet un."

"What's wrong with him?! Ever since he was ordered to kill that captive he's been acting strange!"

"I dunno. I'll find out though un."

"Good. Start looking for him in the morning."

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed." I head back to the room Sasori and I share.

-

~:Momoko's P.O.V.:~

I wake up curled up in Sasori's arms, with his cloak wrapped around me. I shift a little to slightly stretch my limbs. Then I move my head back to see his face better. He really looks like a puppet in this position- his head is bent down and his eyes are closed. I move my arms so that my hands are resting on his cheeks.

He stirs to life. "Good morning, Moko." He says, smiling warlmly.

"Morning Sasori." I reply, leaning in close to him.

He moves his hands so they're holding my face and kisses me. "You must be pretty hungry by now."

"Pretty close to starving."

"Stay here and I'll get you something then." He frees me from his cloak and gets up.

"Alright." I watch as he heads out.

He comes back about fifteen minutes later with a fish in one hand and some wood in the other. "It might take awhile to start a fire. The wood isn't all that dry, and this is some of the dryest I found." He explains, setting the wood down.

"That's ok." I say, taking out some matches that I had in my laptop bag and working on lighting the wood.

After awhile, I get the fire going. Sasori holds the fish, which is now on a stick, over the fire. When it's cooked, he hands it to me. I immediately start eating it while he tends to the fire.

As soon as I finish, I toss the stick into the fire. "So, what're you thinking of doing today?" Sasori asks, looking up from the fire.

"I dunno. Do you have anything in mind?" I reply, messing with the little ribbon on my uniform's shirt.

"Not really. But I don't think we should stay here."

"So we'll just walk wherever then?"

"Sure." He puts the fire out then comes over and helps me up. I grab my laptop bag and am about to sling it over my shoulder when he grabs the strap. "I'll carry that for you."

"You don't have to. It isn't heavy."

"It's a man's job to carry large bags for a woman."

"Really, you don't have to carry it. I don't want you to be burdened by my stuff."

"Fine, you win." He lets go of my bag. "You really are stubborn."

"I know. But what can I say? I'm fifteen. Most girls my age are like this."

He freezes. "Fifteen..................?"

"Yeah, I'm fifteen. Is that a problem?"

"I don't believe myself."

"Sasori, what's wrong?" I ask, placing my hands on his shoulders and pulling myself close to him.

"This is sin. You're fifteen, and I'm THIRTY-NINE."

"Oh. As long as we love each other, age shouldn't matter though."

"Are you crazy?! I'm 24 years older than you!" He shouts, practically shoving me to the ground.

"Sasori! Calm down!" I grip his cloak.

"I........................I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to find you yesterday. Maybe it would've been better if I had stayed back at the base and had worked on forgetting you."

"No, stop that. Please, just forget about the whole age thing. I won't be able to stand it if we're separated again." I pull myself closer to him.

"You really don't care about the whole age thing. God, you've got to be the craziest person alive."

"True, but I don't care."

"Maybe that's why I fell for you."

"The why shouldn't matter either. I just wanna be with you and have you love me."

"Alright, alright, I'll stay." He toussels my hair.

"Thanks. I love you."

"I love you too."

I reach up and kiss his cheek. "C'mon let's go now."

He takes my hand and we leave the hollow of the tree, heading for nowhere.

~:Deidara's P.O.V.:~

My ceaseless search for Danna had begun at 7 in the morning. I've been searching through the sky with my clay bird as it's easier to see and cover more ground. I'm assuming Danna didn't get very far due to the rain last night, but with him, it's hard to say. I don't know why, but as the day wears on, I'm getting more and more worried about Danna. I guess I'm falling more and more in love with him. It's too bad he might not feel the same way.

But who's keeping me from F

A

L

L

I

N

G for Danna? His red hair is so.......................well, fleeting. There's not much else to describe it. It's a pop of color, random, and so not like him. He's always quiet and reserved, but has quite the temper. I don't really like that he doesn't respect my art like I respect his. And always fighting is actually a pain- I just never back down because of my ego..........................and my pride.

He probably will never love me. I'm just a pyromaniac blonde with cerulean eyes that loves blowing stuff up. That captive girl, although I don't know what he sees in her, has dirty blonde hair- not much different from mine- and blue-green eyes. The special thing about her is her ability to control things with her mind. I knew this when we had fought, I just didn't know how much she could control. I guess they're like one in the same- they can both control things.

But that isn't a good reason to love someone. And he broke down over her death, even though he barely knew her. I guess there's just something special between them that I can't understand. Well then, I guess it's a good thing she's dead. Although I'm not having any luck with finding Danna.

Trying to find a flash of red in the middle of fall is super hard. The leaves are pretty close to Danna's hair color and I'm up in the air. Ugh, I've dived down when I thought I'd seen him several times now. It's going to get annoying pretty soon. Maybe I should start searching from the ground. That sounds good, so I swoop down into the trees, making a lot of noise in the process, and land on the ground.

I send my bird back up into the sky and turn around to watch as it explodes. Then I turn back to the path and start walking. It's a lot easier to see what's on the ground from the ground, so hopefully I'll find Danna sooner.

Just thinking about Danna makes me remember his red hair. I also remember his chocolate brown eyes. Now a mental picture of him has slipped into my mind. As I see him clearer, my mouth starts to water slightly and I feel dizzy. I am such a fanboy. I don't notice it until the impact, but I fell over. Slowly, the image of Danna fades to black.

~:Momoko's P.O.V.:~

Just a second ago, there was an explosion overhead about a fifteen minute walk from where Sasori and I were. The instant he saw slight flashes, Sasori had tackled me to the ground so I wouldn't get hurt. It wasn't until after the fact that he discovered our distance from the epicenter. But he was curious about what had caused the explosions, so he made me climb on his back and took off running.

The ground under the epicenter didn't betray the explosion, but the greens above did. There were plenty of mangled limbs and charred leaves. Yet there was no sign of what had caused the explosion. Sasori started looking around the area on the ground, in the trees, and in the sky in hopes of finding the cause. But he could't find it, until he started checking up the path a little.

There, by a tree a little off the path, was a body. I hurried over to Sasori, who was standing over them. Then I saw it: the blonde hair. And I finally recognized the Akatsuki cloak.

"Is that..........................?" I ask, looking up at Sasori.

"Yeah. I'm guessing he got caught in the blast....................or he just fainted for some other reason."

"Oh. Maybe we should move him or something?"

"No, stay here. I'll go get some water." I nod as he leaves.

He comes back about two minutes later and splashes some water on the unconscious blonde's face. Said blonde (now conscious) jumps up and shouts, "WHAT THE HELL UN?!"

"You were out cold." Sasori replies calmly.

"D-Danna.........................." His face turns red, almost deeper in shade than that of Sasori's hair.

"Yeah, what're you doing out here brat?"

"I-I was.............................leader told me to come look for you un."

"Oh. And why's you're face red?"

"Uh, 'cause............................it's really hot outside un! Yeah, really hot un!" He fanned himself with his hand.

"Sure it is Dei." At this Deidara's face got even redder. I'm surprised he hasn't noticed me yet. "Well?"

"I-I........................................." He squeezes his eyes shut and suddenly blurts out, "I'MBLUSHINGBECAUSEILOVEYOUUN!" Then he reaches into his pouch and makes a clay bird.

"What?!" Sasori uses his chakra strings to keep Deidara from moving. "Be resonable brat. You know all too well I'm not gay."

"I'm sorry." He says softly, and I think I see a tear rolling down his cheek. "I know you love that captive chick, even though she's dead un."

Oh, so he thinks I'm dead. "She's not dead brat. I lied about that, she simply ran off and I wasn't in the mood to chase after her."

"So..............................you're with her now, aren't you un?" He sniffled and I could tell he was about to break down.

"Yes, and I'm happy with her."

"Then.......................I m-might as well.........................................be dead un." Deidara was crying at this point.

"Stop crying. You're an S-rank criminal."

"I....................................c-can't help it un.............................."

He sighs and pulls Deidara into a hug, rolling his eyes as he rubs his back. Deidara stopped within minutes. "Don't you dare tell anyone about that."

"I won't. Don't tell anyone about that crying either un."

"Deal." Sasori then looks at me.

The whole time I had been frozen in place. I barely noticed his eyes were fixed on me. And when I did notice, my body refused to respond. It was as if for hugging Deidara, I was rejecting him. No, I'm not THAT cold-hearted. I'm just in a lot of shock, that's all.

To the point that Sasori had to kiss me to get me to snap out of my trance. "I-I'm sorry." I stammer, embarrassed that I had been in a trance that long.

"It's nothing. But we have to go back to the base now." He replies, taking my hand.

Then the three of us head back to the Akatsuki base.

**A/N: Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	8. Demon

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day flashbacks are marked

Demon

It's been six days since Sasori and I returned to the Akatsuki. The first thing that happened was the leader, Pein, got mad at Sasori for sneaking away. Then he got even more mad when he found out Sasori had lied about killing me. I don't know what happened to him though, because Pein ordered Deidara to take me to a prison cell, where I've been ever since. They made me put my glasses on, then attached me to the wall, restraining my feet, hands, and head.

The food they gave me is muck, litterally. I know I'm in a bad situation, but I REFUSE to eat something that I can't identify. I also know the whole Akatsuki eats better than this- one time Deidara came down to visit eating some dango. I guess the blonde feels bad for me.......................or he's visiting me for Sasori because he can't. Deidara won't say though- every time I ask anything about Sasori, he gets really distant.

Another thing that sucks: I'm out of those pills that control my demon. I just ran out yesterday, and I can already feel my demon coming towards the surface. For once, however, I'm actually glad my demon will take over- it can bust me outta this cell in no time at all. And then, if the base isn't totally destroyed, I can get some food. If it makes me transform, everyone in the base and essentially anyone in the immediate area stretching for about a 50 mile radius in every direction, is dead. But I've only transformed once, and that was the sole time I made the mistake of doing work for the government.

Anyway, I can feel that it's only a matter of time now before I'll at least be taken over. Deidara, my practical maid (he's being punished for admitting his love for Sasori in front of Pein) comes into the prison with breakfast, err, morning mush. He knows the drill- take the mush, open another empty cell, scrape the mush off the plate- and proceeds to do so silently. Usually he takes his time with this task, to make it look like I actually ate it. But today, he does the task quickly, then stands in front of my cell for a moment before setting the plate on the ground and coming in.

"You're outta pills now, aren't you un?" He asks, trying to remain casual.

"Yeah." I reply dully.

"So your demon'll probably take over un?"

"Probably? No, DEFINATELY. I can feel it."

"I think Pein-teme wanted this to happen sooner un."

"He can't control me. He oughta know that by now."

"I know. But.............................he's been hurting Danna..............................................a lot un."

My eyes settle on his face, divided between anger and sadness. "How so?"

His eyes teared up. "First, he took all of Danna's puppets and destroyed them un. Then, he put these chakra restraint bracelets on him un. Danna's............................................dying because of everything that happened un."

That was definately fuel to the fire. "Dei...................................get outta here. Take Sasori with you and get as far away from here as you can."

"Why?"

"Demon. Hurry!"

That scared the crap out of him and he went running. I don't know if he and Sasori will escape in time, but it's too late now. The world has turned blood-red and my mind is slipping to the watcher's position.

**FREEDOM! At last, sweet freedom! Agh, but this body............................it annoys me. Time to transform. And so, now I have a super-sized body of a dragon fully equipped with wings. Yeah, I'm a demon in the form of a dragon, although in my compact form I'm a lizard.**

**Ok, first task, check my wings. Are they functional? I flap my wings- yes, they are functional. Next task, full body scan. Initiate..............................NOW! And I'm good. Awesome, now I can get to the good part. Momoko has an image of a man in her mind that she requests I kill. Apparently, he's nearby.**

**To the bastard! Looking for orange hair, orange hair. Here's the guy with orange hair. And he has all the piercings. Good, now to make "french toast" of the guy. But I wanna know a little more about the guy, and as usual, toy with him. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *coughs* Oh, forgot, laughing evilly isn't a good idea.**

**"Hello fresh meat." I say in greeting to the guy.**

**"Fresh meat? Is that any way to talk to your leader?" He asks in reply, eyeing me carefully.**

**"LEADER?! No one rules over me, idiot! I am my own leader!"**

**"Is that so? Well then, what's your name, demon?"**

**So the idiot knows what I am. He's a little smarter than I give him credit for. "Kiro, demon of utter destruction." I love telling people what I'm the demon of.**

**"I see. Well then, welcome to the Akatsuki, Kiro-sama."**

**Whoa, wait. One minute this guy's telling me he's my leader, the next he's calling me lord. "You dirt!" Ooops, there goes my mouth, running off again.**

**His eyes snap up, trying to stare into mine, but being several feet taller, he can't. "Here I am, trying to be hospitable, and yet you call me dirt? How rude."**

**"And what of your treatment of my host? Deciding to kill her for not showing all her powers and deciding against joining you, jailing her for no obvious reason, not giving her any food that wouldn't go straight through her system, hurting her friend, augh, such a long list, but you get the point!"**

**"I did no such things."**

**"Excuse me, GENIUS, but you're talking to a DEMON, not a human. I know everything and can read your mind."**

**"I thought demons couldn't read minds."**

**"I can. Deal with it." Before he could reply, I ate him alive. I chewed, only so he couldn't try to break out later. And this guy doesn't taste good either. He tastes like crap. Yes I've eaten crap, but that was before I was using Momoko as a host.**

**Ok, now to destroy this place. What's the most destructive technique I have? Oh, I know. That super explosion thingy. That's pretty destructive. But I have to get it to where its destructive enough on rock. Which means I have to find out what type of rock this is. **

**Ugh, I hate work. Ok, first, guess based on apperance: limestone. Guess based on scent: shale. Rock type based on scan: both limestone and shale. Joy, I need destructive power 19 to destroy this place. No problem though. Super explosion power 19!**

**And there goes the place known as the Akatsuki base. I'm out.**

~:Deidara's P.O.V.:~

From high up in the sky, I watched as the Akatsuki base was reduced to rubble. The remote controling the chakra restraints on Danna must've been destroyed, because all his strength is back. He's worried about Momoko. I won't admit it to him, but I am too. But it's for a different reason than him. I'm worried she won't ever be in her human form again.

I didn't tell Danna about Momoko being taken over by her demon. I didn't want him worrying about that. But now I'm wondering if I should've at least told him she'd be safe no matter what happens. Although the good thing is he doesn't mind that I'm holding him- I'm lucky I haven't fainted yet or anything.

"Deidara, do you think Momoko's gonna be ok?" Danna asks suddenly. His voice is so shaky, so sad, it's just not like him at all.

"Yeah, she'll be fine un. I'm sure of it un." I reply, holding him tight.

"You're not just saying that, right?"

"I'm not just saying it un. I mean it. She'll be alright un."

"You're such a good friend Dei."

"I just want you to be happy, no matter what un."

He doesn't say anything, just burries his face in my chest. That's fine by me. It's nice to have some time alone with him, even if it's only because I'm protecting him for Momoko. I hear a faint cry, and start rubbing his back. He must miss her a lot and I hope she finds us soon. If she's back in control, of course.

**A/N: I think I was on a serious sugar high when I wrote the demon part. I think it sounded drunk or something. Ok, maybe it's drunk on blood. And yes, Kiro doesn't have a gender! Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	9. Memories

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day

flashbacks are marked

Memories

I feel cold right now, even though I'm wearing clothes. Maybe it's because my body is begging for the warmth that radiates from Sasori. Speaking of which, I hope Deidara got him out of the base before it was reduced to rubble. I know Kiro toyed with the leader a bit, so he had plenty of time. And I hope neither of them is mad at me for anything. Better start looking for them.

After people started finding out about my demon, they started staying away. The only people who stayed close were my friends. That was a mistake on their part. I ended up hurting them all, and even now I feel bad about it. I'm not meant to be near other people.

The memories I burried deep within my mind are flooding back now. I don't know why, but they are. Countless memories come to a close with court apperances. I've been on house arrest several times and have come close to being put in juvie on several other occassions. No matter what the judges and the therapists I was forced to see did, my demon would still take over.

Some doctors diagnosed me with rare diseases. Others said I was bipolar. Only one doctor came close and diagnosed me with agitation attacks. No one but me knew exactly what was going on. I knew it from the first time I was taken over. And that's why I researched medication to control my demon.

Sometimes I've wished that I would just drop dead. That's never happened, but I've been in some near-death situations. I often wish I didn't have a demon. I would still have friends. But my family probably still would've died. There isn't much I can do about that car crash.

If I were dead though, I wouldn't have Sasori. I probably wouldn't have him even if I didn't have a demon. I guess the trade-off is about even. Have a demon, have Sasori. And last I checked, he loves me enough that he'd put his life on the line over me. He already has once.

I'll still love him whether he loves me or not. Even him just being around me is good enough. It has more meaning than he'll ever know. Him loving me is just a bonus- I really don't need it. But to him, it seems it's even love me and stay, or just leave. So I'll take the love.

I hope he'll still love me despite my demon. Maybe he'll be understanding and learn to accept it. Or maybe he'll reject me entirely. I won't know until I see him again. Maybe it would be better if I stay away from him and let Deidara have him. It might be healthier for him to be away from me. It's dangerous to be around me, because when my demon takes over, it could kill anyone. I don't want Sasori to die because of me.

My search so far is proving fruitless. Maybe I'm looking in all the wrong places. No, I'm sure Deidara probably took to the skies. That's the fastest form of transportation he has. It's hard to see the sky from the ground, so there's a chance I missed him.

Maybe he's looking for me from above. If he is, hopefully he'll spot me before I spot him. And then he'll definately swoop down and land where I can see him. Well, this is supposing he and Sasori made it out alive. No, I'm sure they're alive. I can feel it. I just don't know where. This reminds me of when I had to search for Riku after one of the times she had been over at my house and my demon took over.

_~Flashback~_

_A me about a few months back sits on my bed in my room. Riku sits across from me as we talk about my demon issues. I cry a lot and she hugs me like a good friend. This goes on for a long time._

_Then the door flies open causing a loud crash. A man I've never seen before stands in the doorway. Riku frees me from her hug and we both stare at him. For awhile, it's a staring contest._

_Finally, the man says, "I'm a detective. I'm looking for Momoko."_

_"I'm Momoko." I reply. "What's the problem sir?"_

_"Your parents died in a car crash miss. It was a hit and run deal- whoever crashed into them kept going."_

_"You're kidding, right?"_

_"I'm not. We have leads thanks to the traffic light camera catching the liscene plate."_

_"Tell me the suspects please."_

_He told me the few names that were possible and showed me the image of the driver. I memorized the picture and thanked him. Then I told him to get out of the house. I told him nicely and told him it would do him good if he got as far away as possible and relayed my message to drop the investigation. I also told Riku to leave, that it would be best for her health if she wasn't near me._

_Then Kiro took over. The pictured suspect's mangled body was found on a riverbank. Everyone who tried to find out their cause of death failed. They couldn't match any DNA left on them to any existing being. They assumed it was some sort of animal that attacked, but they couldn't be sure. At minimum they made the connection that the person was the driver of the vehicle that had crashed into my parents' car._

_They were just one of many Kiro has killed._

_~End Flashback~_

My eyes fluttered back open. Everything was a little bit blurry. After a moment, it cleared up and I saw out of place white. I blinked and realized the white was a bird. And on top of this bird were Sasori and Deidara. They found me, at long last.

Suddenly, I was on the ground with Sasori on top of me. "You're ok!" He practically shouts.

"Yeah. And I'm glad you're ok too." I reply.

"I owe Deidara for getting me out of there."

"I asked him to save you."

"Oh. Either way I'm glad to see you again."

"Me too. It's been too long." I wrap my arms around him.

"Yes it has."

"Do you still love me?"

"Of course! Why would you think I don't?"

I sit up. "I haven't told you everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I have......................................a demon inside me."

"Oh. That's.............................nice, I guess."

"No it's not! I'm dangerous! You could die because of me!"

"I'm an S-rank criminal. My life's been on the line since I was 19."

He's right, and he knows I know that. "Alright, you win."

"I didn't win anything. I just made a point."

"That's two for you."

"What're we keeping track of, points in an argument?"

"Y- nevermind. Forget I said that. I probably sounded like a teenage idiot anyway."

"Pretty much."

"Ugh, you aren't supposed to support me when I say stuff like that! You're supposed to be all, 'No, you're not!' And then who knows what happens after that!"

"Well maybe I feel like doing things a little differently." And then, to keep me from saying anything else, he kissed me.

I feel almost as if he's too good for me sometimes. Right now though, all I can do is go along with it. And that's all I feel like doing anyway. So when I feel his tongue pressing against my lips, I grant it entry into my mouth. But just as suddenly as his tongue had entered, it receeded.

Then he removes his lips from mine. "Sorry for not warning you." He says.

"No, it's alright." I reply, tightening my grip on him.

He nuzzles my neck. "I love you, Momoko."

"I love you too, Sasori." I lay my head on his.

Deidara clears his throat and asks, "Uh, are we gonna be going anytime soon un?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Sasori replies, standing. Then he helps me up.

"So where to un?"

"How about Ame?"

"That sounds good un. At least they don't hate the Akatsuki there un."

"What Akatsuki?" I ask, faking a confused look.

"She's right, the Akatsuki is no more."

"Then what are we- a couple of guys traveling together and one of us happens to have a girlfriend un?

"In essence."

"So what're we gonna call ourselves un? We can't be the Akatsuki un."

"We'll still be identified as Akatsuki, but inside our little group we can be known as the Artists."

"The Artists...........................................I like it un."

"Me too." I add, smiling.

"Then that's what we'll be called." I swear I saw a glint in Sasori's chocolate brown eyes.

We all got onto Deidara's clay bird, which took off and flew towards Ame.

**A/N: Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	10. Mitsuki

deiXoc part dedicated to my dear friend in Tennessee.

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day flashbacks are marked

Mitsuki

It's been several months since Kiro destroyed the Akatsuki base. Since then, it hasn't controlled me much. Well, save a few times some random people in Amegakure pissed me off. And the couple times I got into arguments with Deidara. At least he would forgive me afterward, even if it was partly because Sasori gave him death glares if he didn't.

Ame was nice, even though sometimes I went crazy on the inhabitants. It rained a lot, which didn't really bother me. Deidara told me countless times I should be relieved it only rained. Other than the near constant rain, the village was pretty. It was surrounded by a forrest on all sides. The buildings were all small, unlike the skyscrapers I was used to. But it made the village homey.

At first, we had stayed in a nice little inn. Our room had two beds- one for Deidara, and one for Sasori and I. After awhile, the two had enough money to rent an apartment (they had gotten jobs). Our apartment had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a living-dining area. It wasn't a bad apartment considering what they paid for it.

Of course, Sasori and I are still very much in love. The sole rule of apartment, as established by Deidara, is that we aren't allowed to make out anywhere but in our room. That isn't that bad- it could be a lot worse. While Sasori and Deidara worked all day, I would tend to the apartment- cleaning and cooking, to be specific. It's not that I didn't want to work- I did, thinking it would be nice to help pay the bills- it's that Sasori was afraid some co-worker would hit on me or something.

I had argued the not getting a job for awhile. My main point was that I could defend myself in any situation. I had other points, my favorite being my want to contribute to the apartment. Which is how we ended up agreeing on my doing the cooking, cleaning, and on occasion, a few errands, like grocery shopping. The only other times I left the apartment was to go out with Sasori.

Half the days I would spend on my laptop, talking with my friends back in America. I did that mostly because I didn't have anything else to do- the apartment was relatively clean. I always put my laptop away a little before Sasori and Deidara came home from work. Even so, they still knew that I spent most of the day doing anything but cleaning. Although I was sure Sasori knew I had a laptop.

Today was as boring as ever. I've been on my laptop for the past several hours working on a chapter to one of my now many stories. Usually it doesn't take me that long to write one chapter, but I'm multitasking. I'm talking to a good friend on the internet. Really, we've just been catching up. We haven't seen each other in a really long time.

I told her all about the world I'm in. She asked about how to get here, and, being a good friend, I told her how to. I didn't actually expect her to write it down or anything- it was just fun to tell someone. So when she told me she was thinking about running away and coming here, I was a little shocked. No matter what I do before she comes, I won't tell Sasori and Deidara.

I just hopes she gets here fast, and in one piece.

-

I wake up at about 9 the next morning. Sasori and Deidara are long gone, I'm sure. I slide out of bed and change into a nice summer dress Sasori bought for me (I picked it out of course). I then walk out into the living/dining room and right on into the kitchen. On the counter near the space looking into the living/dining room, there's a note from Sasori. He only leaves me notes when there's something he needs me to do. Today it's grocery shopping, and on the back is the long list, telling me he procrastinated on making me go out again.

I sigh and set the note back down on the counter. I'll go shopping after I fix myself breakfast and do the dishes. I open the fridge to find it's nearing emptyness and what's in there expired already. I sigh and grab crackers from the pantry. Then I get a glass of water from the sink. Some breakfast I'm having.

I finish my breakfast and turn to the sink. Time to do this heap of dishes I've procrastinated cleaning for the past couple of days. If I recall, Sasori was mad at me over that last night. Well, he'll be happy to know the dishes will be clean when he gets home. When I finish with the dishes, I empty the fridge and pantry of expired foods. Then I grab the list off the counter and head for the door.

At the door, I slide my shoes on. I snatch the spare key off the rack. I shove it and the list into the pocket on my chest. I then proceed to open the top drawer on the dresser sitting in the entryway. From it, I grab my wallet and a small purse. I jam my wallet into the purse and sling the purse over my shoulder. Then I walk out the door, locking it behind me.

The grocery store in Ame is actually small. I like it though- the size makes finding things easier than at those super markets back in America. When I walk in, I grab two baskets, knowing I'd need both. Then I pull the list from my pocket and start getting things.

When I finally have everything on the list- a bunch of it is junk food that Deidara enjoys eating in front of the small T.V. we have when he gets home from work- I go up to the cashier. A lot of people in Ame know each other, so I'm familiar with her. She always fills me in on what I'm missing being locked up in the apartment all day. She constantly tells me I need to take a stand and just get out of the apartment more often. I always tell her I don't want Sasori mad at me and she proceeds to tell me he's a bit too controling.

"So, shopping again for Sasori and Deidara?" She asks as she rings up all the food.

"Yeah. The fridge ran empty this time. I didn't really notice though." I reply.

"Oh, that's terrible. Why does Sasori always procrastinate on sending you to the store?"

Her question was rhetorical, but I answer anyway. "I think he's just worried some guy'll kiddnap me and rape me."

"This is Amegakure, for Pete's sakes! The most dangerous thing here was the Akatsuki, but they're gone now!"

"I know. But it happened once......................................."

"Yeah, I know. You told me about that one awhile ago."

"I guess he's just, you know, a worrywart."

"I'm almost thinking you should ditch him for Deidara."

"I would never! Besides, Deidara SUPPORTS the whole keep me in the house deal!"

Before she could respond, the door flung open, causing the bells to jangle loudly. In walked a girl a little taller than me with short black hair. Her skin was a few tones darker than mine, and her eyes were dark, almost black, and guarded by glasses. She wore a black t-shirt, black jeans, and Converse sneakers. I recognized her....................................as Mitsuki, the friend I had been talking to yesterday.

My jaw would have dropped if the cashier lady hadn't softly told me how much I owed and throwing in that Mitsuki looked like some goth chick. If it weren't for the fact that I wasn't supposed to cause any trouble, I would've killed that woman right then and there. Instead, I practically shoved the money in her face, snatched up the bags, and left. As I walked home, I could sense Mitsuki was following me. I didn't really care, but I knew Sasori would be mad about it.

I walked into my aparment a few minutes later and put my purse back in the top drawer of the dresser. Then I walked into the kitchen and proceeded to put the groceries away. The whole time Mitsuki silently watched me from the kitchen doorway. I finally finish and turn to face her, looking her over once more.

"Ok, so I obviously can't tell when you're being serious just by IM." I say, trying to cover up my shock and near agitation.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." She replied, leaning on the frame of the door.

"Well, welcome to my apartment. Actually, I live here with two guys."

"You live here with TWO guys?!" Her eyes light up.

"Yeah, they're pretty nice..........................but a bit overprotective."

"What're they like? Are they single? Where are they?"

"First, they're at work. Second, only one's single."

"Wait, who's the other dating then?"

"Me."

"Ooooooooooooo, tell me about it!"

"I will, would you just be patient?!"

"Ok, ok. I'll shut up so you can talk."

"You remember how I was sent to a private school, right?"

"Yupp."

"Ok, well, there was this new kid in school. His name's Sasori Akasuna. He has bright red hair and chocolate brown eyes. Anyway, he was there to take me to this organization called Akatsuki. After some random events, Kiro ended up destroying the Akatsuki base. Also, Sasori and I fell in love during that..........................."

"Aww, that's so cute!" She makes this weird face she gets when she's happy. "So what about the other guy?"

"The other guy is Deidara. He has long blonde hair tied up in a half ponytail with his bangs falling across the left side of his face. His eyes are cerulean."

"Oh, sounds like he's cute."

"You might not think so after you hear the next part of the story."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there was a love triangle between the three of us."

"No way!"

"Way. But it wasn't what you would think. You already know Sasori and I love each other. Well, Deidara loved Sasori."

"So he's gay?"

"Not sure if he still is, but he got over Sasori a long time ago. I kinda feel bad for him though.......................I've been down that road before."

"Yeah, I remember that."

"Well, anyway, there're only two bedrooms here. I share one with Sasori, and Deidara has his own."

"You SLEEP together?!"

"Yeah, but we haven't gone THAT far yet...................................."

"Good. 'Cause if you had, well, you could've gotten pregnant, and that wouldn't be good."

"Oh so true. Even though I know Sasori wouldn't leave me, it's not worth the worry."

"Definately not."

"I guess you're gonna have to sleep on the couch. That is, assuming Sasori and Deidara let you stay."

"I hope they do, 'cause I don't really have any money..........................."

"Way to come prepared, Mitsuki."

"I didn't have any money back home!"

"Is it really that hard to 'borrow' some from your parents?"

"Yeah, I don't know where they stash the cash."

"Wow, that sucks."

"Yeah, so I definately have to stay here."

"I hope they won't mind......................................"

When Sasori and Deidara came home, they were greeted by the smell of dinner. Mitsuki and I had worked several hours to make it, hoping the food would help persuade them to let Mitsuki stay. Sasori, however, was in a slightly bad mood today, and it only worsened when he found Mitsuki in our apartment. Deidara decided to take cover over at the couch, turning the T.V. on and lowering the volume.

First, Sasori snaps at Deidara. "Turn that thing off!" Deidara grumbls, but obliges. Then, to me, Sasori shouts, "What is the meaning of this?!" He jabs a finger at Mitsuki.

"What, I'm not allowed to have friends over?" I ask in reply, struggling to remain calm.

"You could've told me!"

"I had no idea when she was going to get here or if she was actually serious!"

"So she isn't even from this world. I don't want you telling your friends about this world!"

"What, you want me to lie to my friends?"

"If that's what it takes to keep them from knowing!"

"I don't want to betray their trust! They already hate me enough as is!" I then ran to my room, locking the door behind me. I slumped down to the floor and started crying.

"We worked hard to make dinner for you guys." Mitsuki says meekly, shying away into the kitchen a little.

Sasori growls something about his not eating and sits on the couch. Deidara gets up and sits at the dinning room table then digs into the food. Mitsuki watches Deidara from the kitchen, glad the food wasn't going to waste. She was getting hungry herself, so she walks in and slides into the seat across from him and starts eating. He lookes up long enough to thank her, then goes back to eating.

~:Neutural P.O.V.:~

After dinner, Mitsuki had silently taken hers and Deidara's dishes into the kitchen and washed them. Then she proceeded to put all the leftovers away in the fridge. Deidara could tell she was nervous, and, because he wanted to get far away from Sasori, joined her in the kitchen. He sat on a stool and watched her bustle about.

When she finally wasn't busy, he says to her, "So, you're Momoko's friend un. Where're you from un?"

She looks at him and blushes a little. "Tennessee." She replies, her voice having fallen soft and a bit shaky.

"Never heard of it un. I'm from Iwagakure un."

"I haven't heard of that either."

He laughs a little. "If you ask me, I'm kinda glad un. All there was there were rocks, rocks, and more rocks un."

"It wasn't much better in Tennessee."

"Oh really un? It sounds better than Iwa un."

"It's not. And what's with the weird sentence ending?"

"I dunno. It's just kinda habit un."

"Oh. It's kinda.................nice."

"You're the first one ever to compliment it un."

"Really? I'm amazed."

"It's just like how everyone is about my art un."

"Really? What's your art?"

"The explosion un." His eyes light up. "I make bombs out of clay un."

"That's cool."

"You mean it un?"

"Yeah, it sounds like a lot of fun."

"It is. Maybe I could show you sometime un."

"That would be nice." She smiles brightly.

~:Momoko's P.O.V.:~

I can't take it anymore. I've been in here for hours now, crying the whole time. Sasori must be really mad because he hasn't come to check on me once. Maybe he's just trying to calm down so another argument doesn't explode. He probably doesn't want things to get worse than they already are.

I stand and wipe my eyes. Then I check my reflection in the mirror. My eyes are still red and a little puffy from all that crying. Otherwise, I look perfectly fine. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself. That seems to help my appearance a little. Then I gather my bit of courage I have left and go out to the living/dinning room.

When I walk in, I notice Deidara and Mitsuki talking away in the kitchen. They have no idea how tough relationships can be sometimes, but they'll find out. My eyes sweep the room and rest on Sasori, who is sitting on the couch, staring at the T.V. as if he can destroy it by look alone. I internally laugh at this, and am reminded I'm not wearing my glasses, having taken them off when I started crying. I don't bother to put them back on though as I sit on the couch at quite a distance from Sasori.

He doesn't notice me, so I lift the T.V. and let it drop onto the floor, damaging it. He looks up at me and seethes, "Deidara's gonna be mad about that you know."

"I don't care if he tries to kill me." I reply dully. "What I want to know is why you're so mad at me."

"Because you didn't tell me about your friend coming."

"Is that all this is about?"

"No."

"Then tell me what else you're mad at me about."

"It's not about you."

"Then why are you so mad at me about something so small and insignificant?!" I shout.

"You're so ungrateful!" He shouts back.

"Me?! I'm the one who keeps this apartment clean!"

"Do you pay the bills?"

"No, but I'm willing to contribute! I can't though, because you're such a worrywart!"

"You...................................think that I'm a worrywart?"

"You are! You still worry that some guy's gonna try to rape me again! You worry I'm not strong enough to look out for myself, when I've proved I'm stronger than you! You don't give my abilities any credit!"

He stares at me, shocked. Then his face hardens into a full-force glare. "GET OUT! LEAVE AND DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK!"

I get up and run into what had been our room. I grab my laptop bag and put all my stuff in it. Then I shoulder it and go into the bathroom. I grab my stuff from there, dumping it into a small bag. I finally grab my purse containing my wallet from the dresser drawer.

I turn and snap at Sasori, "I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY!" Then I storm out.

**A/N: Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	11. Power of Love

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day

flashbacks are marked

Power of Love

I pull my knees to my chest and rest my head against is nearly all I've done for the past, oh say, week and a half, or however long its been since I left. I got a hotel room half off because the manager feels bad for me and I desperately needed a place to stay. I get free breakfast from the hotel, and don't have another proper meal until dinner. In between, I eat a few things I snag from breakfast.

Other than eating and going to the bathroom, all I do is sit on the bed in the position I'm currently in. Sometimes I cry- especially before I go to sleep. Other times, my head blares profanities at Sasori, and lists off everything that's wrong about him. I never watch T.V., because there are WAY too many romance T.V. shows and movies, and I know those will only hurt.

I'm not much of a person for holding grudges. It's hard for me not to when I can't find any reason to forgive the person though. Since I haven't found any reasons to forgive, I'm still pretty mad at Sasori. That doesn't mean I don't miss him though- I miss him a lot. I can't get my mind off of him.

Before this incident, we were going strong. I loved him a lot, and he meant the world to me. He wouldn't really understand exactly what he meant to me. Just thinking about him like this is driving me to the edge of tears.

I want him back. I'm such an idiot for being so mean to him. He probably hates me now. I'll do anything to have him back though. I don't care if I have to admit I'm an ingrate or anything else he can come up with.

I feel like a lost cause or something.

~:Sasori's P.O.V.:~

Deidara and Mitsuki are killing me. They don't mean to, but all their dating stuff is hurting. I've tried dating other girls, but none of them are as good as Momoko. She's beautiful and has one of the most interesting techniques I've ever seen. I should've never gotten so mad at her.

I didn't really have a point to my arguement. I should've just let her off after I told her she should've told me about Mitsuki. But no, I had to be my horrible self and shout at her more. And now I have no idea where she is and no way to contact her.

At night, if it's clear, I wish on stars that she'll come back. When it's not, I pray to the Gods. I haven't prayed or wished on a star since I was little. Back then, I asked for my parents back, but that didn't work.

She must hate me now then. She's right though. I am a worrywart and I really don't give her much credit. I should just stop my worrying and let her get a job. If she wants to work so badly, I should let her.

Heck, maybe she'll get a job at the place where I work. That wouldn't be so bad. We could go to work together and we'd be close to each other all day. I'd actually like that. And she'd probably like it too.

If only I hadn't gotten so mad at her.

~:Neutral P.O.V.:~

Mitsuki controlled her gleeful laughter as she calmed down. She and Deidara had just set up a prank on Sasori. It was sure to get them in trouble, but they couldn't resist. Especially when it made fun of Sasori's art.

Deidara slides his arms around Mitsuki's waist, pulling her back. "Oh!" She gasps. "Dei, be careful!"

"Sorry." He replies, holding her tight.

"Oh, it's alright."

"I wonder, if Danna misses Momoko so much, why doesn't he make a puppet of her un?"

"Maybe he doesn't have the time."

"Probably. Or maybe he just realizes that no matter how good his puppet is, the real thing will always be better un."

"That's probably likely."

"Aw man, now I feel horrible for pranking him un."

"Yeah, me too. But he'll probably catch us taking apart the prank."

"True. We probably should've pranked someone else un."

"Like who?"

"I dunno, anyone un."

"So you mean some sorry passerby?"

"Yeah."

"That would work, but what if Danna happens to be on the receiving end?"

"Then we're never gonna hear the end of it un."

"Well, let's go see how this one went."

They go out into the hall. A mere minute later, Sasori comes out of his room. Rather than tripping like they expected, he steps right over the string that would trip the prank. He continues to the front hall and grabbs something out of the dresser.

He leans back in, so he's looking down the hall and says, "Clean it up. I have no time or patience for your childish jokes." Then he leaves the apartment.

"He's such a party pooper." Mitsuki says, leaving the room to go get the cleaning supplies from the kitchen. She forgot where the string was, and trips, causing the prank to be set off. Deidara jumps in to take the hit, and both get covered.

"Aw man, Mitsuki, how could you forget un?"

"Sorry! I have bad memory!"

"Well, now we gotta clean this AND take showers un."

"We could take a shower together to save time......" She blushes.

"Yeah, that would............................save time un." His face turns nearly redder than Sasori's hair.

"Um, we should probably shower first so we don't get this all over."

"Uh, right, of course un!" He gets up, then helps her.

They scurry into the bathroom.

~:Momoko's P.O.V.:~

I've sulked enough for today. I force myself off the bed and grab some clothes from my laptop bag. I then change out of that skimpy nightdress I got from the hotel in Colorado. Afterwards, I take my time trying to get my hair to look good.

I'm going out to look for a job today. I'm in desperate need of money. I can't survive on one meal a day, I'm a growing girl. I already live on two technical meals a day.

I grab my laptop bag and purse. It's not that I don't trust people here, I just feel better having all my stuff with me. I'm almost worse than Sasori. But my stuff is worth hundreds of dollars, so if anything happened to it, it would be hard to replace. He has a point though- a human life is irreplaceable.

I grab my room key and stuff it in my purse. Then I check my appearance one last time before I head out. I'm such a woman, being so concerned with how I look. I can't figure out why though. It's not like I've got anyone to impress when very few people like me as a friend.

I'm a freak of nature. Sometimes I think the world meant for me to be alone. If I'm meant to be alone though, why did I meet Sasori? Why did we fall so deeply in love with each other if I'm meant to be alone? Did the world want to break my heart so that I may never trust again, so that it'll be a little easier to be alone? It'd be easier if I hadn't met Sasori.

I see a Help Wanted sign in the window of Ameya (candy shop). All I knew about it was that it was a popular resturant and waiters/waitresses got paid well. They were looking for a new waitress and would pay ¥2000 an hour. That was pretty good for a waitress. I walk in and make my way to the host's desk.

"Can I help you miss?" The host asks.

"Um, I saw you were looking for a new waitress......." I reply, struggling to see the host in the dim light.

"Oh, you'll have to speak to the manager. Right this way." He leads me to a door with a sign that read 'manager'.

He knocks and a voice from the room says, "Come in."

He opens the door and I'm temporarily blinded by the light. I blink a couple times and take in the room. Filing cabinets lining the walls, a desk near the middle strewn with papers and taken up partially by a computer, a chair, a man reclining in said chair, and two more chairs on the side of the desk closest to the door. My eyes resettle on the man in the chair- the manager.

"Sit." He comands, motioning at the seats.

I sit as the host leaves. The manager has sepia hair that brushed his cheeks and was straight. He has light green eyes and the expression of a business man. I figure that's only because he's looking me over.

"So, what brings you here, miss?" He asks.

"Um, I'm looking for a job and I saw the sign in the window...................." I reply.

"A girl like you wants a job at a strip club?"

My eyes widden. "This is a...................strip club? I had no idea."

"Yeah, it is. So, you gonna back out or not?"

"No, I don't care. I just didn't know. I should've guessed by the name."

"You are quite the girl. Ideal for a waitress, actually. The men'll love you!"

"Thank you. Are there any other men that work here besides yourself and the host?"

"One. The bartender. He attracts a lot of the ladies' attention. In fact, I think he's been dating some of them."

"Oh."

"Why so curious?"

"Just wondering how many male co-workers I'll have."

"Trying to stay safe?"

"Yeah, although this isn't the best job for it."

"You got that right."

"So.............you think I'm good for the job?"

"You're definately cut out for it. Say, how old are you?"

I wasn't going to lie. "15."

"Wow, for someone your age, you sure got the looks."

"Thank you."

"I'll tell you what. I'll let you do a trial tonight for ¥1000 an hour."

"That would be wonderful."

"Come back at 10:30 tonight to pick out your outfit-."

"Momoko."

"Ah, Momoko. Such a nice name."

"I'll be here. Thank you." I get up and leave.

~:Sasori's P.O.V.:~

I don't have work at the village leader's office today, so I'm going on a date. The girl's name is Miku, and, like all the other girls I've dated, I met her at my night job. Momoko never knew I hold two jobs and that's how we have extra money. At night, I work as bartender at Ameya Strip Club.

Miku is a girl with auburn hair falling to her midback and hazel eyes. I actually never wanted to go on a date with her, but she wouldn't stop pestering me about it. So now, I'm meeting her at a cafe for lunch. I don't know much about her other than she's annoying as heck.

"Hey, Sasori!" She says, running up to greet me the minute she spots my hair.

Ugh, maybe I should get it dyed. "Hi." I reply dully.

"Oh, I'm late, aren't I, and that's why you're unhappy."

"No."

"Then smile!"

I fake a smile. "Happy now?"

"Yup! Let's go!" She drags me into the cafe.

We're seated at a booth next to the windows. Great, I can stare out the window while she eats. It's silent while she thinks of what to order and I'm grateful for the temporary silence. She orders when the waiter comes by.

"You don't eat Sasori?" She asks after I decline wanting anything.

"I don't eat." I reply.

"Wow, that's kinda weird. Don't you ever get hungry or thirsty?"

"No."

"How?"

"I don't have a stomach."

"How do you survive then?"

"I'm not really sure myself."

"Oh. So, um, tell me about yourself."

Gladly. "I'm 39, live in an apartment with a friend and his girlfriend, and hold two jobs."

"Wow. I'm 20, I live with my parents, and I only have one job."

Better than being 15. "Interesting." A total lie.

"Do you talk to your parents often?"

"No, my parents died when I was little."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I don't say anything, just stare out the window. "So, if you don't have parents, who raised you?"

"My grandmother."

"Oh. Do you talk to her a lot?"

"No, she lives in another village."

"That's kinda sad. Although the rest of my family lives in Iwagakure."

"Hmm, my friend's from Iwa."

"Really? Maybe I know them!"

"Who knows." Her food comes, so I'm granted another silence.

When she finishes, I pay and she thanks me for the meal. Then, like a nice guy, I offer to walk her home. She gleefully accepts my invitation and, much to my dismay, grabs my hand. So, for some fifteen minutes I'm forced to hold her hand as we walk to her house.

"Thanks for everything, Sasori." She says at the gate to her house.

It looks like her parents are out. Oh well. "No problem. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Hope to see you again." She then kisses me, on the lips.

I don't show my disgust as I turn and head home.

~:Momoko's P.O.V.:~

It's quarter past 10 and I'm heading for Ameya. To be honest, I'm a little nervous. I know for sure that depending on how I do tonight will determine whether I get the job. I just hope I do well- I've never had a job before, so this is new to me.

I arrive a minute early, so I walk in. Instead of going to the host's desk, I head straight for the manager's office. I adjust my dress and take a couple of deep breaths. Then I knock on the door.

"Come in." The manager says, and I do as I'm told. "Ah, Momoko, right on time."

I'm amused he remembers my name. "I didn't want to be late for a trial." I reply.

"Love your be on time policy. Come, I'll help you pick out your outfit."

He stands and leads me out to a room labled 'Employees Only'. Inside are racks of costumes and changing rooms. He picks out a school girl uniform and chocolate brown cat ears and a tail. I take the costume and change in the changing room.

I come out and the manager looks me over. "That looks good on you."

"Thanks."

The shirt is white and midriff cut with a red bow. A bell is attached to the bow. The skirt comes about halfway down my thighs and is navy blue. To complete the outfit, I'm given knee-length white socks and brown loafers. There's also a red ribbon with a bell on the tail.

The door to the changing area opens. "Ah, good, I'm early." A familiar voice says.

"At least you aren't late." The manager replies. "I'd like you to meet a possible new waitress. She's only 15, which is young, but she's definately cut out for the job. Her name's Momoko." At that, the person who walked in looks at me and I manage to look away from the mirror. "You're in charge of showing her how things work. I'll be in my office if you need anything." The manager leaves.

"Y-You work here?" I ask, staring at their red hair.

"Yeah." They reply.

"Since when?"

"Since the day I started working."

"Why didn't you tell me Sasori?"

"Because you'd be mad if I told you I worked at a place like this."

"You're right, I probably would be."

"Anyway, you look cute in that outfit."

I blush. "Thanks."

He sighs and grabs an outfit from a rack, then goes into a changing room. He comes out in a white button down shirt, black pants, black dress shoes, and a messily tied tie, although that was probably done on purpose. "We have ten minutes before customers come in, and a half hour before they let people go wild, so I'll show you how things work now."

"Alright." I say weakly.

"Stop worrying. I'm sure you'll do great."

He leads me out past the host's desk and into the main room. It looks like any other restaraunt with tables and a bar. He starts explaining how everything works, which is pretty obvious. There's no food here, just drinks. It turns out you have to go to the host to pay. There are also stairs that lead up to rooms, but those cost extra, and the occpants have to leave by 9 the next morning. I decided I wouldn't ever agree to go up there. I was glad to hear that the waitresses weren't required to strip, and that waitresses were allowed to take breaks behind the bar. The shift lasts until 3:30 in the morning, the place being cleaned out by 3. Employees had a half hour to do basic cleaning, the rest was done by a cleaning crew that came in at 10.

When he was done explaining, I ask, "Do you think I'll get the job?"

"Of course." He replies. "The manager doesn't deny anyone a job unless they hide behind the bar the whole time. Just serve drinks and be yourself."

"Easier said than done."

"If someone gives you problems, point out a hot girl on the other side of the room. Doesn't matter if there really is one or not. They'll be too drunk to know otherwise. Once they go, move on to another table."

"Thanks."

"You better get going."

"Right." I turn to leave, but he grabs my wrist.

He pulls me close and kisses me. "I'm sorry................I'll walk you back................to wherever you're staying so we can talk."

"Alright." I then go out into midst of the tables while he walks up the few stairs to the bar.

In the light of the bar, I saw him smile.

**A/N: Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


	12. Happiness

_book titles/foreign words_

**demon**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ =later

- =next day

flashbacks are marked

Happiness

The long shift finally ended about two minutes ago. After all that hard work and only taking one break, I got the waitress job. Sasori's little unexistent hot girl tirck ended up working, as I needed it a couple times. Other than that, the job isn't half bad. Some of the other waitresses were more open to stripping, and I swear I saw one go upstairs with a guy.

Sasori was kind enough to walk me back to the hotel I'm staying in. I actually felt better walking back with him opposed to being alone. The whole time we were working, girls went up to the bar and flirted with him. He never smiled though, just nodded his head every once in awhile. When I was on my one break, he was nice enough to let me try some sake, though.

Now we walk the streets of Ame next to each other. He finally breaks the awkward silence by saying, "I'm sorry. I was such a jerk for getting mad at you over something so insignificant."

"It's alright. You had your reasons." I reply softly.

"It's not alright. I was horrible to you."

"But you aren't now."

"I know. And no matter how horrible I am to you, I still end up loving you. There's no one out there that can ever replace you or out do you. They all fall short."

I stop and stare at him. "You.............................dated other girls?"

"I wanted someone to stop the pain in my heart. But none of them could. Some higher being intended on us being together. We may argue, but what couple doesn't? When we do, we should just walk away, gather ourselves, then try not to irritate each other again."

"Sasori...................................."

"Yes?"

"Don't leave me."

"I won't. I'll stay with you for all eternity." He pulls me into a hug.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"We should get going..................it's getting late."

"Of course." He lets go, takes my hand, and we continue walking.

Maybe I'm not meant to be alone after all.

We walked into the apartment, Sasori carrying my laptop bag. I had been to tired to argue it. The first thing we noticed was the mess caused by Mitsuki and Deidara. Obviously they hadn't gotten around to cleaning it yet.

"I'll just clean it tomorrow." I say sleepily.

"No, those two have to learn, so they'll clean it themselves." Sasori replies, helping me over the mess, then jumping over it himself.

"Alright then. Just don't forget it's there." I open the door to Deidara's room on accident.

"I won't. And that's the wrong room."

"Ooops, I'm obviously way too tired." I close the door, but not without first accidentally glimpsing Mitsuki and Deidara.

"We now know why this mess isn't cleaned up."

I flush. "And they've only been dating for what, a week and a half?"

"Something like that." He opens the door to our room and sets my laptop bag down, then lies on the bed.

"Either way, it's too early for that." I softly close the door, set my purse down and grab my nightdress from my laptop bag.

"What would you say about us though?"

"I dunno. We've been dating for a long time, but I wanna wait until after we get married, if we do end up getting married." I step behind the _shoji _screen in the corner and start changing.

"I think we'll get married someday."

I come out and climb onto the bed next to him. "I hope so."

He pulls me close, then pulls the covers up around us. "Sleep well, love." I burry my face in his chest and fall asleep.

-

(really big time skip)

Ever since Sasori and I got back together, everything's been going great. I still have my job at Ameya, and the manager sometimes lets me help Sasori behind the bar. He now only goes to his daytime job once a week, so we have more time together. He only got paid ¥3000 at his daytime job, so it evens out.

As for Mitsuki and Deidara, things are going well for them too. They're both happy together. And way lucky Mitsuki didn't get pregnant. Also, last month, Deidara proposed to her. They're pretty cute together.

Starting a couple days ago, Sasori's been getting a little weird. Ok, maybe distant is a better term. Either way, it makes me wonder what's up. Especially since we're at a really nice restaraunt tonight. Oh well, I'll know soon enough.

"Moko, hey, you ok?" Sasori asks.

He must've noticed I zoned. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just zoned out." I reply.

"Ok." He says with a small laugh.

I blush a little and finish my food. When I do, I say, "Ok, I'm ready to go."

"Wait just a sec." He says. Wow, I've never seen him want to wait. I blink and miss him standing, but then the next second, he's kneeling by my chair, holding open a small black box containing a ring. "Momoko, will you marry me?"

My heart nearly stops, and there's a lump in my throat, but somehow, I manage to reply, "Yes, of course!"

He smiles and slips the ring on my finger. I look at the ring and a smile breaks out across my face. The gem is an opal, my favorite because it's my birthstone and there are flecks of other colors visible in the light. I'm not like most girls in that I don't particularly like diamonds. In fact, I could care less about precious gems, but if it comes down to it, opal is my favorite.

"I had a feeling you would like opal." He says, standing.

"I love it." I reply, looking up at him.

He helps me up and kisses me.

**A/N: Epic cliffhanger! There probably will be a sequel at some point or another. Reviews are like sugar. Sugar keeps me going. So review peoples!**


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